Carnegie Mellon University: Course Registration Experience
Carnegie Mellon University: Course Registration Experience
Improving the course registration experience to be more user-friendly and efficient for incoming and returning students at Carnegie Mellon University.
Improving the course registration experience to be more user-friendly and efficient for incoming and returning students at Carnegie Mellon University.
Overview
PROJECT DETAILS:
Final Project as part of the Experience Innovation course in Fall 2023 at Carnegie Mellon University.
MY ROLE:
Student UX Researcher & Experience Designer
PROJECT DURATION:
2 Months
(October - December 2023)
METHODS USED:
Experience Mapping, Qualitative UX Research - Interviews & Surveys, UI Design, Usability Testing
Problem Space
INTRODUCTION:
Every year, more than 5,000 students enroll at Carnegie Mellon University for undergraduate and graduate programs. As part of their onboarding, all incoming students must perform a certain number of tasks before they can start attending classes. These include setting up Andrew ID, providing financial documentation for immigration and VISA purposes (international students), satisfying all medical requirements, enrolling for Health Insurance, looking for on-campus housing (for undergrads), and paying the tuition fees, among others. Currently, Carnegie Mellon University has separate portals (SIO, OIE, Health Connect, etc.) that cater to all the activities stated above. Navigating through these various portals usually confuses incoming students, adding to the already cumbersome process they face before starting college.
OBJECTIVES
To understand the incoming students’ thoughts on the current onboarding process and learn about their expectations for the future.
Streamline the onboarding process for incoming students by eliminating the need to go to multiple portals to complete the various tasks involved.
Minimize the time and effort needed for the CMU staff and new students to finish the onboarding tasks.
TARGET AUDIENCE:
Incoming Students
The main focus of this project will be on improving the onboarding experience of the incoming students, helping them navigate the transition to university life smoothly.
Returning Students
These will be our secondary targets, and after enhancing the onboarding experience, we will focus on improving the overall experience of all students at CMU by helping them keep up-to-date with all necessary information.
Approach
Problem Space
Desktop Research
Interacting with current CMU students
User Research
Surveys
Interviews
Ideation & Design
Brainstorming
Paper Low Fi Wireframes
High Fidelity Wireframes
Prototyping
Testing
3 rounds of usability testing
A/B Testing
User Research
User Surveys:
I conducted surveys to understand the Fall '23 students' experiences, exploring the time they spent on tasks and uncovering their main challenges during the onboarding process.
KEY FINDINGS:
About 45% respondents found it comparatively difficult to navigate through the different CMU portals to complete onboarding tasks
About 48% of the respondents believe that CMU could have been more prompt with providing information
Most people found course registration as one of the most challenging task
Most respondents preferred using WhatsApp groups over browsing CMU portals for onboarding tasks clarifications
User Interviews:
After analyzing the survey responses, I wanted to understand students' onboarding experiences better. I conducted 3 interviews and 4 short conversations with Fall '23 students, delving into their challenges, process, and suggestions for a smoother onboarding experience.
KEY FINDINGS:
International incoming students struggled with satisfying the medical requirements due to difference in the readings of some medical tests in their home country and the US.
Some interviewees felt constantly confused during onboarding because there wasn't a single portal or site where they could track all the tasks that needed completion.
Paying tuition fees to CMU through wire transfer was stressful because there wasn't sufficient information on the university's website.
The course registration process caused confusion for incoming students due to unfamiliar terminology. Additionally, the back and forth between SIO and Course Catalog further increased the confusion
Key Insights:
Communication Gap
The prolonged waiting period for CMU's document approval caused stress among students, indicating a significant factor of anxiety in the entire experience
Information Overload
Management of healthcare services and regimens is haphazard and needs streamlining.
Inefficient Process
Back and forth between multiple touchpoints involved in course registration process leads to confusion and uncertainty for incoming students
Experience Map: Current State
Extensive research highlighted that the course registration experience proved notably challenging for the majority of participants during their onboarding phase. The ambiguity and uncertainty surrounding course selection notably detracted from their overall experience.
Because of this, I focused on making the course registration experience better to further improve the overall experience for everyone, both incoming and returning students at Carnegie Mellon University.
Ideation & Design
WIREFRAMES:
Through research, I found that for most of the recent students who joined Carnegie Mellon University, registering for courses and navigating back and forth between SIO and Course Catalog was one of the most challenging tasks during their onboarding experience.
In my first iteration of what could be, through low fidelity wireframes, I tried to integrate both the SIO and Course Catalog so that the course registering process becomes more smooth and seamless for all students at Carnegie Mellon University, especially the incoming students who have to experience this for the first time with little assistance.
Final Designs
With the new design, the course registration process becomes seamless. All pertinent information regarding courses and instructors is consolidated within the Student Information System (SIO), streamlining the experience for all students. They no longer need to toggle between the course catalog, Faculty Course Evaluations (FCE), and the SIO, which often resulted in a frustrating back-and-forth. Now, students can simply access the SIO and effortlessly find the integrated course catalog at the bottom or through a convenient dropdown menu. This centralization not only saves time but also enhances the experience, providing a more intuitive and efficient pathway to course selection and information retrieval.
Step 1: Open the SIO
Step 2: Click on Course Catalog through the
dropdown or the card below
The revamped course catalog brings added convenience for students. They can now swiftly explore popular courses using a new carousel feature. Each course card includes an image to provide a visual overview, and students can also see course ratings for easier decision-making. These updates aim to create a more user-friendly and informative experience for students selecting their courses.
Step 3: Enter Course Catalog Homepage,
search for course or department
Step 4: On the course search page,browse list of courses
Each course description page now offers comprehensive details essential for students. This includes schedules, timings, locations, instructor profiles, and the course evaluation rating. Additionally, I've introduced a carousel displaying projects completed by previous students in the course. Moreover, you'll find information about specific former students willing to offer insights into the course. If you do not meet the prerequisites, similar course options are conveniently listed at the bottom of the page.
Step 5: On the course description page, find all the required information
Step 5: Look at the course/ instructor ratings, past student projects and contact past students for more information
Finally, when students discover a desired course for their upcoming semester, they can simply click the "Add to Schedule" button directly on the course description page to register. This eliminates the need to manually copy the course code from the catalog and paste it into the SIO, streamlining the registration process into a seamless and linear experience.
Step 6: If you are interested in taking the course, click on “Add to Schedule” and it will directly get added to your schedule on SIO
Visual Library
Experience the benefits of the new course registration system firsthand and see how it helps CMU students seamlessly enroll in courses for the upcoming semester.
Experience Map: Future State
Testing
I carried out three rounds of usability testing, one with each iteration, to gather feedback from my target audience. This helped me refine the experience and grasp what students truly seek during course registration.
Moreover, participating in the Experience Innovation Fair provided an excellent chance to gather input from CMU students and faculty. They welcomed the idea of improvement, acknowledging the existing issues. Many of them encouraged me to pursue this solution further and suggested connecting with the CMU faculty to explore its feasibility.
LEARNINGS FROM TESTING:
The participants liked having the course catalog inside the SIO because it made it easier to find and sign up for courses without having to switch back and forth between different places.
Participants expressed their positive feedback for the course list page, especially praising the addition of images within each course card. They found that these visuals provided a clear idea of what each course was about.
Participants find the new design much more intuitive and user friendly.
Participants mentioned how this new design eliminates the need for them to remember the course code or copy-paste it into their SIO schedule. They appreciate the "Add to Schedule" button on the course description page, allowing them to directly add courses to their desired schedule without the extra steps.
I'm always happy to discuss this project and my approach in more detail.
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